


Meddlesome Witch Strikes Again...Or Does She?

by shadowsamurai



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-17
Updated: 2012-06-17
Packaged: 2017-11-07 23:14:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/436500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowsamurai/pseuds/shadowsamurai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It seems someone is once again conspiring to bring Buffy and Giles together, and it can only be Willow...can't it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meddlesome Witch Strikes Again...Or Does She?

**Author's Note:**

> I'd say it takes place sometime around Season 5, when all was well and good in Sunnydale (except for Joyce not being alive).
> 
> All lyrics belong to Celine Dion and Westlife. And I shamelessly stole a small line from '50 First Dates'. And if it seems OOC, I apologise, but it's been a very long time since I watched BtVS so the characters are all taken from memory!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I'm just borrowing things for a while and I promise I'll put everything back exactly how I found it when I've finished. Well, almost exactly how I found it. ;)

BS-RG-BS-RG-BS-RG

Giles was panting heavily when he opened his front door; the run he'd just been on had tired him out more than he thought it would, and he had to admit to himself that he was finally getting old. It wasn't a feeling he liked.

Walking into his kitchen, Giles missed the brightly wrapped package on the table that bore his name and the simple instruction 'go to 2'. In fact, Giles was completely oblivious about the package as he went to take a shower and change into something comfier, his thoughts anywhere but on the new contents of his home.

Of late, Giles' thoughts had been more and more on his Slayer, on how she seemed to need him one minute and wanted nothing to do with him in the next breath. He knew she was growing up, but in many ways, Buffy had always been grown up. It came with the job.

It was only when Giles had eaten and was searching for something to read that he noticed the obscenely bright thing on his coffee table. Frowning, the Watcher picked it up gingerly, almost as though he was afraid it was going to explode or bite him, or worse, sing.

As he took the paper carefully off, worst option three won; it was going to sing to him. Or at least it would, if he put it into his stereo.

Giles stared at the CD, wondering who the hell would send him Celine Dion and why he should play track two. It had to be one of the girls - Willow, Tara, Dawn or Buffy. Anya, as lovely as she was, just didn't count. Sighing, Giles gave in to his curiosity and put the CD on, fast forwarding to the second track.

*For all those times you stood by me  
For all the truth that you made me see  
For all the joy you brought to my life  
For all the wrong that you made right*

Giles froze in the act of making more tea. The lyrics…they could really only be applied to one person, but he refused to believe she had sent him the CD. Maybe it was one of the other girls, saying 'thank you' in a very complicated fashion.

*For every dream you made come true  
For all the love I found in you  
I'll be forever thankful, baby*

The tea Giles had been drinking suddenly found itself being sprayed everywhere. Those three lines had knocked Willow, Tara and Dawn out of the running; none of them would ever want to say that to him. But Buffy…. Giles shook his head. Not even Buffy would want to say those things to him. There was no way she could feel the same way, no way at all. Someone had to be playing a joke, and Giles was about to stop the CD when he heard the next lyrics.

*You're the one who held me up, never let me fall  
You're the one who saw me through, through it all*

It could only be Buffy, Giles decided, that the message was *supposed* to be from; he wasn't actually convinced it was her who had put it in his house. After all, the entire Scooby Gang knew where his spare key was, and most knew his daily routine down to the second. Even if he changed it, they still knew.

*You were my strength when I was weak  
You were my voice when I couldn't speak  
You were my eyes when I couldn't see  
You saw the best there was in me  
Lifted me up when I couldn't reach  
You gave me faith 'cause you believed  
I'm everything I am because you loved me*

Giles decided it simply wasn't possible that Buffy knew how he felt about it. Her intuition for many things was excellent, but not for something like other people's feelings. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling - the gut instinct - that this message was from Buffy. It pointed to everything they had been through together, everything they had experienced from death to rebirth to destruction and creation. Their friendship, and that of the rest of the Scooby Gang, had endured so much over the years. It had been tested, strained, and even broken on occasion, yet they were all still together.

*You gave me wings to make me fly  
You touched my hand, I could touch the sky  
I lost my faith, you gave it back to me  
You said no star was out of reach  
You stood by me and I stood tall*

Giles had always stood by Buffy, even when he shouldn't have, but until now, she hadn't seemed all that grateful. True, she acknowledged that she wouldn't where she was in her life if it wasn't for his guidance, but she rarely said little in the way of thanks. Giles hadn't realised how much it bothered him until now.

*I had your love, I had it all  
I'm grateful for each day you gave me  
Baby, I don't know that much  
But I know this much is true  
I was blessed because I was loved by you*

*If* this was a message from Buffy - Giles was still having trouble believing that it was - then she knew everything. Everything she had always seemed to ignore, everything she took for granted - like Giles - Buffy was recognising and…thanking? Giles shook his head. There had to be another explanation for this. Perhaps a demon who wanted to unravel their feelings, or worse, a meddlesome Willow.

*You were always there for me  
The tender wind that carried me  
Light in the dark, shining your love into my life  
You've been my inspiration  
Through the lies, you were the truth  
My world is a better place because of you*

Even Giles couldn't deny that Buffy's life was better because of him, but he doubted she thought the same. The lyrics of the song reflected what he *hoped* Buffy thought about him, what he always imagined she'd say to him. The desire to be needed was part of the Watcher's job, but with Giles it ran deeper, probably because he and Buffy had been through so much more than any other Watcher and Slayer in history.

It was strange, then, that Giles' biggest fear wasn't that Buffy didn't feel the same way about him - because he knew she didn't - but if a miracle occurred and she did feel the same, but their new relationship damaged their friendship. That was far more important to Giles than anything else. Of course, if he could have it all, then he'd be a very happy man, but people like him rarely got to have everything they wanted.

*I'm everything I am because you loved me*

Whether it was demons, a chocolate-high Willow, or indeed Buffy herself, Giles couldn't deny the truth in that lyric. Giles' love, in all its forms, had sustained Buffy and the Scooby Gang on more than one occasion, but in turn, their love for him had helped him through the dark times of his life.

Giles knew he should have been deciding what to do about the song; how best to proceed with this new information. But instead he rose from the couch, leaving the CD to carry on playing, and went to make some tea. Instead of thinking, Giles was going to do what he did best *after* thinking; waiting.

BS-RG-BS-RG-BS-RG

Buffy burst through the front door of her house, went straight into the living room and collapsed on the sofa. She listened to the silence, idly wondering where everyone was, but in a way, she was glad no one else was home. Everyone knew how much Buffy exercised, but nobody knew of her newfound passion for jogging. It was all Giles' fault, really. Buffy knew her Watcher enjoyed running, and somehow, it had rubbed off on her.

But Buffy soon realised it was about more than just exercise; it was about clearing one's mind and organising thoughts better. Slowly, she got up off the couch and headed to the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of juice before going upstairs to shower and change.

Buffy was deciding what to wear when she sensed something was different about her room, and slowly she turned round. There, on her pillow, was a subtly wrapped…something, and it looked suspiciously like a CD. Frowning in curiosity, Buffy walked over to her bed and picked it up. Sure enough, under the paper was a CD.

"Westlife?" the Slayer muttered. "What's goin' on?"

A note was stuck to the back of the case, which read 'last track'. Shrugging, Buffy put it on and went back to her wardrobe, briefly wondering who had left the CD.

*Baby, you're so beautiful  
And when I'm near you I can't breathe  
A girl like you gets what she wants when she wants it  
You're so out of my league*

Buffy wheeled rapidly, staring in shock at the stereo. Those lyrics could only apply to one person, and while he'd had a crush on her once over, she doubted Xander still felt the same way. And Westlife definitely wasn't his thing. Choice of music pointed to either Dawn or Willow; Buffy didn't thing it was Tara's thing either.

*I show you no emotion, don't let you see what you're doing to me  
I imagine the two of us together, but I've been living in reality  
Fear of rejection kept my love inside  
But time is running out, so tell my foolish pride*

Buffy shook her head. There was no way Xander would send her something like this. For one, the message behind the lyrics just wasn't him at all; it was far too composed and heartfelt. At least that's what Buffy's Slayer senses detected.

And secondly, and most importantly, Anya would do many unimaginable and extremely painful things to him if he had sent it. There wasn't even a question of *if* she would find out or not; being an ex-demon had its good points.

*Rules are made for breaking*

Buffy snorted with laughter that was something she agreed with whole-heartedly, having broken more than her fair share of the Watchers' laws.

*Nothing ventured, nothing gained  
I'll be no worse off than I right now  
And I might never get the chance again*

Giles deserting her suddenly jumped to the forefront of her mind, and Buffy once more whirled to stare at the stereo. Who would send her something that would remind her of the worst time in her life? She didn't want to admit to anyone, not even herself, how much she had missed her Watcher, but since his departure, she had cried herself to sleep every night. And when he finally returned, Buffy had acted like nothing was wrong. It was the only way she could deal with the feelings that were developing inside her.

*Fear of rejection kept my love inside  
Told my heart I didn't want you but I lied*

It was strange, but Buffy felt as though the song was something she might send to Giles, if she was feeling extremely, tremendously, most definitely brave, or very, very, *very* drunk. It seemed to sum up exactly how she viewed him; he was so far out of her league that he might as well be a resident in another universe, at the opposite end of time and space. And Buffy did want Giles, badly.

And she loved him.

It hadn't always been that way. In the beginning, she'd hated him. Well, not him, but what he represented. Then she came to trust him and depend on him, and care for him. But through a series of betrayals of trust, from both of them, their relationship was razed to the ground. Yet they built it back up again, with the help - and on occasion, hindrance - of the Scooby Gang.

*Here on the outside looking in  
Don't wanna stay dreaming about what could have been  
Need to hear you speak my name  
Even if you shoot me down in flames*

"This is crazy," Buffy muttered, shaking her head. This was definitely a song she should be *sending*, not *receiving*. And the list of people it could possibly be from had dropped dramatically. In fact, there was only Giles on the list. But Buffy couldn't bring herself to believe he had sent it to her.

*I don't care if you think I'm crazy  
It doesn't matter if it turns out a fact  
I've got not fear of losing you,  
You can't lose what you never had*

Buffy knew that wasn't true; Giles would be terrified of losing her, which made the Slayer think that someone else had sent the CD…like an over-eager-to-help redheaded Wiccan. Buffy had thought Willow would be too busy with Tara to meddle in her friend's life, but obviously she was wrong.

The Slayer shook her head. What was Willow thinking? What message was she trying to give to Buffy through the song?

*Now I'm gonna confess that I love you  
I've been keeping it inside, feeling I could die  
Now if you turn away, baby, that's okay  
At least we'll have a moment before you say goodbye  
You can't lose what you never had*

"O-kay, so this definitely isn't Tara or Anya," Buffy said to herself, counting the people she mentioned on her fingers as she tried to work things out logically. "And I don't think it's Xander's style. Dawn wouldn't touch Westlife if her life depended on it; not cool enough. So that leaves Willow and Giles, with keys to the house. Not Giles' style either, so that just leaves Will."

Buffy nodded, apparently satisfied with her choice of who to blame, turned the stereo off, put the CD back in the case and left the house, knowing exactly who she needed to see.

BS-RG-BS-RG-BS-RG

Willow looked up uninterestedly as the door to the Magic Shop opened and closed again. Anya had asked her to keep an eye on things whilst she and Xander…well, enjoyed some time together.

"Tara!" Willow exclaimed happily. "What brings your royal cuteness here? Uhoh, I sense badness."

Tara rarely looked angry, but she did look mildly irate today. "Willow, have you been meddling again?"

Willow's eyes went wide. "Who? Me? Meddling? Never! What would make you say a thing like that?"

"I went to see Mister Giles, to ask him if I c-c-could borrow a book," Tara said, her stutter showing through slightly, "And he wasn't in. But there was a CD on the coffee table."

"And? Giles can listen to music."

"Celine Dion?" Tara replied. "With a note to listen to track two, 'Because Of You'."

Willow smiled. "Good song." Then she frowned. "Someone left it for Giles?"

Tara ignored her. "I went round to Buffy's to see if he was there, 'cause this book…well, it's important. I need it f-f-for studying."

"Was he there?" Willow asked.

Tara shook her head. "But I could hear Buffy moving around upstairs. She was listening to something…Westlife, I think the band's called."

Willow's eyes went wide again. "No way!"

"Will, the songs…are you trying to get Buffy and Giles together again? Because you know, sweetie, if they're meant to be together, they'll find their own way."

"But I haven't done anything! Honest! I've been here all morning, can't leave without closing the shop up and that would mean serious trouble, so I wouldn't do it," the redhead replied breathlessly.

Tara stared at her girlfriend intently. "Really?"

Willow nodded vigorously. "Absolutely positive. Check the shop cameras if you want, but I swear I haven't been out of the shop. I haven't been at Buffy's since early this morning, and it's been days since I last saw the inside of Giles' place."

"If it wasn't you, then who?"

Willow shrugged. "Xander and Anya are off…."

"I get it," Tara said, blushing.

"And Dawn's at school."

"I wonder who it was then," Tara said quietly.

BS-RG-BS-RG-BS-RG

Giles put the book he had been reading down on the coffee table and put his glasses on top of the book. He moved slowly to the door, curious as to who his visitor was.

"Buffy," he said. "What a surprise."

"Hi, Giles. Can I come in?" Buffy asked.

Giles thought he detected a note of nervousness in his Slayer's voice, but he nodded and moved to one side to allow her entrance to his home. "Is everything alright?"

"I-I'm not sure."

"Would you like to sit down?" Giles asked. "Perhaps a drink…."

Buffy shook her head. "No, thanks. I need to get this out. And besides, you might not want me to stay afterwards."

Giles leant against his breakfast bar-type unit and folded his arms across his broad chest. "Go on."

"You're gonna think I'm crazy. Well, you already know I'm crazy, but this is like major crazy," Buffy started.

Giles smiled. "I'm sure it can't be all that bad."

"Well, I got home earlier from…well, from being out, obviously, and I found this on my pillow." She held the CD up, noting how her Watcher's eyes went wide. "I knew it could have been any of the gang 'cause they've either got a key or know where the spare it, but the note that told me to listen to the last track was something else."

"Do you know who sent it?" Giles asked, far more calmly than he felt.

"I worked through the list," Buffy replied. "It wasn't long or hard, and I ended up with two people - you and Willow. Now, I know it's not your type of music, and Will does have the bad habit of meddling, but I don't think this was her."

"And why is that?"

"The CD, the paper…everything smells of you. Plus I recognised your handwriting," Buffy admitted. "It was badly disguised."

Giles felt himself beginning to blush. "Ah."

"You think it freaked me out, what you were trying to tell me." Buffy's eyes strayed to the table and suddenly she smiled. "But it didn't. It's all good, Giles."

"I don't know what you…."

"I put the Celine Dion CD on your table this morning."

Giles stared. "You?"

"You thought it was Will."

"Well, she seemed the more likely choice, I must admit," he said. "Although…I had actually hoped it was from you."

"This song, Giles," Buffy started hesitantly. "You really think I'm out of your league? 'Cause to me, it's the other way around."

"Whatever would make you think that?" he asked, surprised.

Buffy gave a small, harsh laugh. "Let me see: you're smart, funny, brave, smart, patient, caring…did I mention smart?"

"Twice."

"Not to mention extremely handsome."

"Not 'eiw'?"

"Don't go there, Giles. Not now," Buffy pleaded quietly.

He nodded his head. "Sorry. But you forgot stuffy, bookish, old."

Buffy ignored him. "And I'm just…."

"Stubborn, hot-headed, annoying," Giles continued. "Not to mention smart, funny, brave, smart, caring…did I say smart?"

"Two too many times already," Buffy replied.

"As well as being incredibly beautiful. And young."

"And? There was nothing you just said that makes you out of my league. In case you haven't noticed, Giles, I'm the Slayer. You know? Dating doesn't go with it, so I don't have a 'league'," she told him.

Giles sighed. "I'm old, Buffy."

She took a step towards him, her jaw set in a determined way. "I don't ever want to hear you say that again, not in the way you just said you. You're older than the rest of us in years, but that doesn't make you old, okay?"

"What about you? Why did you want me to hear that song?" Giles asked.

Buffy shrugged. "I'm not very good with the talking thing, as you might have noticed."

"Not really," he replied, straight-faced.

"When I heard that, it said everything I wanted to and it seemed like the perfect way to tell you…what I think about you."

"Everything?" Giles asked, his heart rate speeding up.

Buffy nodded and took another step towards him. "Everything. I know it sounds stupid, but whenever you're not around, the world seems a little duller, even if you only leave the room to use the toilet."

"A charming statement," he said dryly.

Buffy ignored him. "What I feel for you hasn't always been the same, I know that. But I'm not interested in the past; I care about what I feel for you right now."

Giles tried to swallow, but it was impossible. "And that is…?"

"I love you," she whispered. "And if that song said what you wanted to, you love me too."

"For a long time," he admitted. "But this…this cannot work between us."

Buffy finally closed the distance between them. "Please don't say that. You know every man in my life had always walked away, and I know most of the time it was my fault, but you're the only one who came back just for me. Can't we at least try?" she asked him, reaching out to take one of his hands.

"Buffy, there is nothing I would like more," Giles replied, taking hold of her other hand. "But are you sure this is what you want? If things turn out badly for us…."

"I know, it'll be ugly. Guess we'll just have to make things stay of the goodness."

Giles had to smile at her enthusiasm. "Perhaps we should discuss this with the others first."

"What? You mean like asking the rest of the family's permission?" Buffy asked.

"Something like that. Anything between us will affect them, as would the fallout."

Buffy pulled a face. "I'm too young to be a parent to so many children, Giles."

The Watcher looked at her before laughing, which quickly subsided, leaving a contented smile to take its place. Then Giles turned serious, pulling Buffy's body until it was flush against him, lowered his head and kissed her. The world melted away as Buffy let go of Giles' hands to slide them around the back of his head and wind her fingers into his hair.

Unbeknownst to them, their antics were being carefully observed by four sets of eyes. "Awww," the girls chorused.

Xander stared at them. "Don't you mean 'eiwww'?" He was rewarded with three smacks on his arm. "OW!"

Inside, Buffy and Giles broke apart. "Did you hear something?" the Slayer asked.

Giles smiled once again. "Only our family giving us their blessing."

FIN


End file.
